Twenty-eight of the 62 fresh and processed fruits sold in US shops cost consumers less than $1 a serving in 2023, according to estimates from the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS) published in a Chart of Note on 6 October.
The cheapest were fresh watermelon, at 26 cents a serving, and bananas, at 31 cents. At the other end of the sample were fresh blackberries, fresh raspberries and canned cherries, the most expensive fruits per serving.
ERS measured the average retail prices that consumers paid, converted into servings rather than pounds. A serving follows the definition in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030: the edible part of the fruit that will generally fit in a 1-cup measuring cup. For raisins and other dried fruits a serving is the amount that fits in a half-cup measure.
Federal dietary guidance on how much fruit to eat depends on a person's age, sex, height, weight and level of activity. For a reference diet of 2,000 calories a day, two servings of fruit a day are recommended, so on the cheapest fruits the daily amount costs well under a dollar.
The figures come from the ERS Fruit and Vegetable Prices data product, which was last updated on 9 December 2025. The chart was prepared by Hayden Stewart and Jeffrey Hyman.
Pricing fruit by the serving rather than by weight shows what a shopper pays for an amount that is actually eaten, once peel, cores and stones are left aside. For growers and marketers the same series is a guide to how their fruit compares on price with the alternatives in the shop.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service
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